Jamaica

I recently flew down to Jamaica for a tournament. Since I was there for athletic purposes I did not do any touristing. Regardless here are a few pictures from Kingston, Jamaica.

Besos
LTY

International Coffee Habits

A post in honor of the coffee plantation visit I just posted about.
I never had considered myself a coffee drinker. When I was a kid I would get the occasional capuchino as a special treat when I was somewhere with my parents. As a teenager the only coffee I drank was mostly milk with a dash of coffee in it. And a lot of sugar. At the age of 17 I had to embrace the fact that I could no longer digest milk. When I entered college I used to tell people I didn't like coffee because I couldn't drink milk. Besides the occasional Starbucks Caramel Macchiato with soymilk, which I didn't really like anyway but its Starbucks only completely dairy-free option, I didn't drink coffee.

That was until I studied abroad in my junior year of university. During spring break I flew out to Milan, to stay with my friend and her family in Piacenza. There they drank espressos like it was water. I remember my friend making us espressos in the morning and me telling her, "I don't like black coffee" And she told me "This isn't black coffee this is espresso".
It was a life changing moment for me as I realized I did like espresso and could drink coffee without milk.

Now that I've spent the last two years of my life living in Puerto Rico I have developed a preference to Puerto Rico coffee. The brand I personally use in my house is Yaucono. I use regular ground coffee and make it in my small french press. I sweeten it with locally grown raw cane sugar.

I spent the spring in Argentina and picked up a new coffee habit there. I have never been a fan of seltzer water or soda. The very first time I ordered a coffee in the airport waiting to leave Mendoza to go to airport they gave me a small glass of seltzer with my coffee and I didn't understand why. A few coffees later after never having touched the seltzer that kept coming with my coffee, I drank it because I was thirsty. I discovered why they gave it. You know that after coffee taste that clings to your mouth for while after drinking coffee? The seltzer is a complete palate refresher. No gum or tic tacs or post coffee teeth brushing needed.

I generally prefer to drink coffee when I am having pastries or sweets or around the mid afternoon energy drop. I don't like to drink coffee because I need to to function but rather because I am sitting down and enjoying a moment to myself or in a nice cafe with someone.

Besos,
LTY

Visit to a Coffee Plantation

We recently took a day trip to the inner workings on the island. Destination Hacienda Pomarossa. The trip took about 2 and a half hours if you exclude the time we spent going up and down the wrong side of the mountain and ended up in somebodys backyard.
When we finally found the place it was a worn wooden sign on a sharp left turn with a large drop to the right side. After you drive up the steepest driveway in Puerto Rico you arrive at this beautiful and peaceful farm. The first buildings you see are actually the plantains bed and breakfast where you can rent out the little houses and have a secluded weekend getaway.
We meet the son of the owner who is really relaxed about the fact that we arrived much later than our scheduled tour time. He took us on a short walking tour of the plantain where he explained about how the growing and farming of the coffee beans worked. He also explained the season, how the know when the beans are ripe and other interesting things about the land they own.
Then he took us to the building and explained the process of what they do with the beans after they are picked.
We then all went and sat at a table and tried three different coffee variations made with the coffee grown right there on the plantation. The owner's son made us a cappuccino, a cold brew, and a regular hot drip espresso while his father explained the history of coffee and the story about how he came about owning a coffee plantation.
We ended up buying fresh roasted, as in they were actually roasted right before we arrived, beans right from the plantation. The coffee beans grown and roasted at Pomarrosa are only available straight from the plantation or can be ordered online.

If you are looking for an atypical tourist experience and don't mind venturing onto inner island windy roads then I would really recommend looking into taking the tour. It is very educational and really makes you appreciate all the work that goes into a single cup of coffee.

Besos,
LTY

Travel Fashion

I'm about to jet set again. For a very short trip this time. When I travel, especially arriving or departing Puerto Rico, I have to keep in mind the climate. It may be very hot and humid out but don't make the mistake of traveling in shorts and a tank top because the air conditioning will freeze you out. When leaving Puerto Rico I generally travel in long pants of the non-jean material, with a tank top and something in hand to throw on over for when I get cold. When arriving to Puerto Rico I usually make sure I have sandals and shorts in my carry on to change in the airport when I arrive.

6 a.m. flight here I come.
Besos
LTY

Limpieza, Lemonade, y La Laguna

Happy Sunday! Today for me was the exact opposite of a Lazy Sunday. I was up before 10 and started cleaning. I had one last part of the house that was still abandoned and disgusting to take care of. And I tackled it this morning.

Cricket not helping me clean.

It was fairly hot this morning so I made some lemonade.

The color of the lemonade is due to the fact that I use brown cane sugar.

After the laundromat I stopped by the beach for a little bit to just sit and stare at the water.

I've been wanting to go to the Laguna Tortuguera for awhile now. But the gate is always shut when I go by. I remembered a way I went in with my boyfriend once where we climbed up to an overlook. I tried to repeat that trip but I think I took a different trail and ended up lost in the jungle getting freaked out by creaking trees. I wasn't actually lost but the main trail I was on was longer than I thought it would be and then split into three trails and I didn't know which to take. Decided to turn around because I was heading there to take pictures of the sunset and if the trail turned out to be even longer than I had already gone I didn't want to end up having to take it back in the dark in my worse than flip-flop shoes I had on my feet. I'll save it for another day when I have someone with me. Or not when nights about to fall.

Besos,
LTY

What Am I Doing Currently

I am currently living in Manati, Puerto Rico. I just moved out here when I got back from Argentina on June 5th. The house I am living in has been abandoned for about three years. So my current projects all involve putting the house back into livable condition. This is because I am not staying in Puerto Rico permanently. In August I am going back to NYC temporarily for a job till November. Then depending on what else I am doing depends on where I will be. Fixing up the house serves the purpose of always giving me a place to escape to when I get sick of the New York winter.

So the next few weeks all my post will be based in Puerto Rico. In Manati or the San Juan area as I often have to go back there for work or hockey practice.

Besos
LTY